Finney figured other outdoor lovers, from empty nesters to parents, like him, of young children, would be drawn to the stripped-down-yet-smart design of his 1,400-pound trailer that can be pulled with some four-cylinder cars and stored in a standard-size garage.

The first Cricket was born about three years ago in an empty storefront near his architectural office in the Heights. Finney ended up making two more in the garage-like space, taking one to an outdoor retail trade show where it attracted attention.

The Travel Channel did a segment for its "Extreme RV" show, and Dwell magazine did a feature. The New York Times took note, and Finney is trying to keep up with the demand. The company has enough orders to keep the factory - which has expanded to 10,000 square feet in two warehouses on Richmond Avenue near Hillcroft - busy for the next few months.

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The RV market

Towables, which include pop-ups and hard-sided trailers, represent 90 per- cent of the U.S. market. A look at who buys the towables and motor homes and what they are getting.

Market size: 285,000 new units were shipped in 2012; 307,000 units expected to be shipped in 2013, which represents a 7.5 percent increase

Biggest sales year: 2006, when 390,500 new units were shipped

Where they're made: Indiana makes 83 percent of new RVs

Average age of buyer: 48 years

Marital status: 85 percent of RV owners are married

Average family size: 39 percent have children under 18 at home

Average annual income: $75,000

Where they live: All over, but slightly more likely to live in the West and South

Finney's 16 employees can build 2½ of the custom trailers each week. The company is hoping productivity improvements will boost that total up 14 a month by year's end.

"We have far more demand than we can supply," said Amitav Misra, president of Taxa, the company that makes the Cricket.

The Cricket lacks the plush extras of a typical recreational vehicle. It has no flat-screen televisions, granite kitchen islands or leather recliners. But that lack of fancy accoutrements is what makes it appealing to buyers who are looking for something other than their father's RV.

"They want enough to be comfortable," Misra said. In a scaled-down sort of way.

Comes in two colors

Buyers have two choices of color - blue or green - and two basic styles, with either a futon-like sofa or a V-shaped sleeping berth.

Options are limited; they include a portable toilet that tucks under a ledge, a shower that resembles a kitchen hose, solar panels for off-the-grid living, and pull-down berths for children. Air conditioning is offered for those who want relief from the summer heat.

It doesn't appeal to the typical RV crowd, said PJ Buerger, co-owner of Princess Craft in Round Rock, the only distributor of the Cricket. Texas law doesn't permit trailer manufacturers to sell directly to consumers.

But the trailer, which sells for $16,750 before options, does appeal to people who like outdoor adventures. It's another piece of equipment, much like a kayak or a mountain bike, Buerger said.

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But buyers have to wait for the fun. The trailers are made to order, and at the moment, Buerger is telling potential buyers delivery won't be until late summer or early fall.

The little things

Finney, the architect on the team of engineers who designed the habitation module for the International Space Station, thought through the tiniest of details.

Sitting in one of his newly built trailers in front of his plant, he pointed out details that might get missed by campers more accustomed to looking for the microwave and dishwasher.

Finney put his hand on the tiny table and gave it a little turn. It moved, but not too much. The table - big enough for breakfast or to hold a laptop - adjusts to create the queen-size bed.

Up to the owner

The design leaves room for the owner to decide how to use space. For example, there are no drawers in the kitchen area. Finney opted instead for open bins with a wide lip that's high enough to keep kitchen gear from falling while traveling yet accessible enough to stow gear.

The top and sides of the trailer are dotted with metal holes to make it easy to rig up extra storage with elastic cords.

The employees include architects, former NASA designers, electricians, construction folks and automotive mechanics who set aside time daily to improve efficiencies, reduce errors and smooth the work flow.

One problem was the time it took to unload and sort the pallets full of metal framing sections. Finney designed a cart that holds the 88 pieces required for each skeleton frame and now sends it over to the manufacturing company, where it's loaded up and sent back.

Employees also engineered a low-tech solution to use leftover metal to build a jig to clamp in the weather seal around the side panels. The device slashed about eight hours of tedious taping and other assembly work and reduced the do-over work, production manager Erin Baer said.

Local emphasis

The company is trying to use local manufacturers as much as it can. It gets the aluminum frame from a plant that makes oil and gas equipment, and will soon begin buying its cabinets locally.

But because it can't find a U.S. supplier of lightweight windows with built-in screens and blinds, it uses a Dutch company.

"It is a tent experience with bonuses," said Kris Haworth, a forensics lawyer in San Diego who, with her husband, bought their Cricket four months ago. "You get the same experience but nice bed, heat, water and light."

It is their first RV, and they were attracted to its energy efficiency, especially the solar panels that allow them to go off the grid for weekend trips.

"Garrett and his team have been on the phone every time we had a question, which is amazing," said Haworth, who appreciates that attention to detail.

After the screws in the kitchen area came loose, Finney found a repair shop in San Diego where Haworth could take it for replacement screws. The Cricket is also an attention grabber, she said. "Every time we go anywhere," she said, "we end up giving tours."